[kurtsimonw]

btw kurt i fint the colar looks nice, has the italian colors and with nice gold trim.

I think collars looks horrible, regardless of what shirt they're on. But especially on football shirts, I think they look stupid.

[Tennie]

Here are Scolari's call-ups to the Portugal national team for the Feb. 6 friendly with the Azzurri:

Quim – SL Benfica
Ricardo – Real Bétis
Rui Patrício - Sporting CP
Bruno Alves – FC Porto
Fernando Meira – VFB Stuttgart
Jorge Ribeiro – Boavista FC
Bosingwa – FC Porto
Caneira – Valência CF
Paulo Ferreira - Chelsea FC
Ricardo Carvalho – Chelsea FC
Deco - FC Barcelona
Petit - SL Benfica
Maniche – Inter Milan
Raul Meireles – FC Porto
Makukula – CS Marítimo
Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United FC
Nani – Manchester United FC
Nuno Gomes – SL Benfica
Ricardo Quaresma – FC Porto

Donadoni will make his call ups this Sunday, Feb. 3.

[LaPalma]

NT Coach Joachim Löw just announced Germanys squad for our game against Austria:

GKs: 12 Timo Hildebrand (FC Valencia), 1 Jens Lehmann (FC Arsenal)

Defense: 35 Gonzalo Castro (Bayer Leverkusen), 24 Manuel Friedrich (Bayer Leverkusen), 16 Philipp Lahm (Bayern München), 17 Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), 34 Roberto Hilbert (VfB Stuttgart), 41 Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04)

Midfield: 13 Michael Ballack (FC Chelsea), 15 Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), 19 Bernd Schneider (Bayer Leverkusen), 20 Lukas Podolski (Bayern München), 39 Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), 38 Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen), 7 Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern München), 28 Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV)

Angriff: 32 Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart), 11 Miroslav Klose (Bayern München), 10 Oliver Neuville (Borussia Mönchengladbach), 31 Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke 04)

Ballack will have his comeback after his 10 month long injury crisis and Schalkes Heiko Westermann will have his debut in the "Nationaelf". Like always, many players are injured, most notably Thorsten Frings who might not even be back for the Euro (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif) Also out are Christian Pander (as always), Marcell Jansen, Serdar Tasci, Christoph Metzelder, Arne Friedrich, Clemens Fritz and Serdar Tasci. Lehmann will still be our first choice even after Wenger replaced him with that **** Almunia. What impresses me the most is that Lukas Podolski is noted as midfielder....someone at the DFB seems to talk too much to Galliani...

[Tennie]

I'm surprised not to see either Neuer or Adler there. At least those two are playing regularly.

Is Sami Khedira hurt too?

[LaPalma]

I'm surprised not to see either Neuer or Adler there. At least those two are playing regularly.

Is Sami Khedira hurt too?

Joachim Löw announced a few months ago that neither one, Adler or Neuer, would be called up for the NT before the EURO because he doesn't want any irritations. Lehmann, Hildebrand and Hannovers Enke will be the only choices till the EURO. After it Löw will most likely decide who'll be "the new guy". Neuers chances are worse than ever btw. He was responsible for Wolfsburgs late equalizer in Schalkes DFB-Pokal game yesterday. Schalke later lost on penalties. Right now Adler seems to be the man especially as he was voted the best goalie of the Bundesliga a few weeks back (by the players) with a huge margin between him and runner-up Robert Enke.

Khedira hasn't been on form recently. He was called up by Löw once but then he was injured, so he's still waiting for his first international game. Mario Gomez has an amazing comeback in Stuttgarts match though. He scored a hattrick after beeing out for 7 weeks (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif) (might be Germanys best striker right now)

[Fillipo Simone]

Borowski? Injuried or out of form?

[LaPalma]

Borowski? Injuried or out of form?

Out of form...he's been terrible lately.

[kurtsimonw]

Gabby Agbonlahor, Ashley Young, David Bentley and Matt Derbyshire not named in the England Under-21 squad.. a first team call up? (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

[kurtsimonw]

Fabio Capello's First England Squad


GOALKEEPERS
David James (Portsmouth)
Scott Carson (Villa)
Chris Kirkland (Wigan)


DEFENDERS
Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
Wayne Bridge (Chelsea)
Curtis Davies (Villa)
Rio Ferdinand (Man U)
Glenn Johnson (Portsmouth)
Ledley King (Spurs)
Jonathon Woodgate (Spurs)
Nicky Shorey (Reading)
Wes Brown (Man U)
Joleon Lescott (Everton)
Micah Richards (Man City)
Matthew Upson (West Ham)


MIDFIELDERS
Michael Carrick (Man U)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Gareth Barry (Villa)
Jermain Jenas (Spurs)
Owen Hargreaves (Man U)
Joe Cole (Chelsea)
Ashley Young (Villa)
Stewart Downing (Boro)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea)
David Bentley (Blackburn)


STRIKERS
Emile Heskey (Wigan)
Gabriel Agbonlahor (Villa)
Michael Owen (Newcastle)
Wayne Rooney (Man U)
Peter Crouch (Liverpool)

A nice first squad from Capello. Congrats to Curtis Davies and Gabby Agbonlahor on their first call-ups. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

5 Villa players!? (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

Only downside in my opinion is that Kirkland was picked as a GK ahead of West Hams Robert Green. Also that players like Nigel Reo-Coker, Michael Johnson and Tom Huddlestone - who have been playing very well each and every week - have missed out to the likes of Owen Hargreaves (Who hardly plays) and Michael Carrick (Who has been very average this season). Shame Becks wasn't picked, too. He only needs 1 more cap to have 100!

As a whole, a decent squad from Fabio, well done.

This post has been edited by kurtsimonw: Jan 31 2008, 05:17 PM

[Portman]

No Beckingham for his 100th match? (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

Heskey? (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[dst]

Heskey is good. He is 10 times better than the joke of a player that Defoe is. Or who was he gonna call?

[kurtsimonw]

Heskey is good. He is 10 times better than the joke of a player that Defoe is. Or who was he gonna call?

Heskey isn't a good player. But it's not good players that make a good team, he just works well with Owen, so it's a bonus to have him.

Not really much else anyways. Defoe, Bent, Ashton & Walcott.

[dst]

Good enough to be included is what I meant.

Anyway... Forza Capello!

[LaPalma]

Ahem guys...isn't this England talk a bit off-topic? I mean...this thread is called "The Road to the EURO 2008" and not "The Road to the EURO 2008 and all the other teams that didn't make it.".
It's not like we're talking about every little NT here, were not talking about Latvia either aren't we?








(IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)
(Hides from every english member of milanfan)

[kurtsimonw]

It would have made sense if it was a competitive game. But this is just a week of friendlies, nothing to do with Euro2008, so..